The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Part 21

1837 31,670 "

1838 33,058 "

1839 28,213 "

1840 13,589 "

1841 17,801 "

1842 21,607 "

1843 24,587 "

1844 23,147 "

1845 24,767 "

1846 21,936 "

1851 48,000 "

SUGAR CROPS OF THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA, FROM 1790 TO 1851.

1790 91,131 "

1791 91,020 "

1792 ... "

1793 82,136 "

1794 97,124 "

1795 95,372 "

1796 96,460 "

1797 85,109 "

1798 95,858 "

1799 110,646 "

1800 105,584 "

1801 139,036 "

1802 140,113 "

1803 115,496 "

1804 112,163 "

1805 150,352 "

1806 146,601 "

1807 135,203 "

1808 132,333 "

1809 114,630 "

1810 112,208 "

1811 138,292 "

1812 113,173 "

1813 109,158 "

1814 104,558 "

1815 127,209 "

1816 100,382 "

1817 123,766 "

1818 121,758 "

1819 116,382 "

1820 122,922 "

1821 119,560 "

1822 94,515 "

1823 101,271 "

1824 106,009 "

1825 72,090 "

1826 106,712 "

1827 87,399 "

1828 101,575 "

1829 97,893 "

1830 100,205 "

1831 94,381 "

1832 98,686 "

1833 85,161 "

1834 84,756 "

1835 77,970 "

1836 67,094 "

1837 61,505 "

1838 69,613 "

1839 49,243 "

1840 33,066 "

1841 34,491 "

1842 50,295 "

1843 44,169 "

1844 34,444 "

1845 47,926 "

1851 41,678 "

The average of the five years ending 1851, being the first five of Free trade, shows an annual export from Jamaica of 41,678 hhds.

The quant.i.ty of unrefined sugar imported from the British West Indies and Guiana in a series of years since the emanc.i.p.ation, is shown by the following abstract:--

Cwts. Cwts.

Sugar. Mola.s.ses.

1831 4,103,800 323,306 1832 3,773,456 553,663 1833 3,646,205 686,794 1834 3,843,976 650,366 1835 3,524,209 507,495 1836 3,601,791 526,535 1837 3,306,775 575,657 1838 3,520,676 638,007 1839 2,824,372 474,307 1840 2,214,764 424,141 1841 2,148,218 430,221 1842 2,508,725 471,759 1843 2,509,701 605,632 1844 2,451,063 579,458 1845 2,853,995 491,083 1846 2,147,347 477,623 1847 3,199,814 531,171 1848 2,794,987 385,484 1849 2,839,888 605,487 1850 2,586,429 470,187

_Mauritius_.--In the year 1813 the exports of sugar from this island were but 549,465 lbs., and increasing gradually to 128,476,547 lbs. in 1849, or two-hundred fold in thirty-six years.

The equalisation of the duties in 1825, and the admission of Mauritius sugars into England on the same footing as those from the West Indies, had the effect of stimulating the sugar trade of Mauritius, and advancing it to its present remarkable success. Notwithstanding its immense crops, scarcely more than three-fifths of the island is yet under cultivation; but it has the advantage of a cheap and abundant supply of labor, and much improved machinery has been introduced. The planters first commenced introducing Coolies in 1835, and were for some time restricted to the single port of Calcutta for their supply.

The recent advices from Mauritius furnish some interesting information regarding the progress making in the sugar production of that colony.

In reference to the cultivation of the cane, it is stated that by the introduction of guano upon several estates in the interior, the production has been very largely increased; but as the value and economy of manure has not been hitherto sufficiently estimated, its introduction has not been so general as could be desired. The importance of free labor to the cultivation of the estates, has now become fully appreciated by the planters; it being found that an equal amount of work can be obtained by this means from a less number of hands, and that at lower rates of wages than were current in previous years, the average of which is shown in the following table:--

+--------+-----------------+------------------+--------------+ | | Number of | Aggregate | Average | | Years. | Coolies | amount of wages |wages per head| | | employed. | paid per week. | per week. | +--------+-----------------+------------------+--------------+ | | | | s. d. | | 1846 | 47,733 | 33,484 | 14 0 | | 1847 | 48,314 | 35,338 | 14 9 | | 1848 | 41,777 | 26,627 | 12 9 | | 1849 | 45,384 | 27,625 | 12 2 | | 1850 | 47,912 | 31,664 | 12 3 | | 1851 | 42,275 | 27,832 | 12 2 | +--------+-----------------+------------------+--------------+

In 1826, to make from 25 to 30,000,000 lbs. of sugar, it required 30,000 laborers (slaves); at the present time, with less than 45,000 (from which number fully 5,000 must be deducted as absent from work from various causes), 135,000,000 lbs. are produced, or about five times the quant.i.ty under slavery. The coolies are found to be an intelligent race, who have become inured to the work required, and by whose labor this small island can produce the fifth part of the consumption of the United Kingdom, and that with only about 70,000 acres under cane cultivation. About 10,000 male immigrants, introduced since 1843, are not now working under engagement, but are following other occupations, and thus become permanent consumers. Some cultivate land on a small scale, on their own account, but very few plant canes, as it requires from eighteen to twenty months before they obtain any return for their labor; but the most important fact established by this and other official statements is, that only a small number of immigrants leave the colony at the expiration of their industrial residence. In the manufacture of sugar from the cane, considerable improvement has been effected by the introduction of new methods of boiling and grinding. The vacuum pan and the system of Wetsell are all tending to economise the cost of production, and to save that loss which for years amounted, in grinding alone, to nearly one-third of the juice of the cane. The planters begin to find that they can increase the value of their sugar 30 to 40 per cent. by these improvements, and that their future prosperity depends upon carrying them out. Unfortunately, however, here, as in many other of our colonies, a very large number of planters do not yet appreciate the advantages to be obtained by the adoption of improved machinery and manufacture, or by improved cultivation, and still struggle on under the old system of waste and negligence, which can only result in the ruin and destruction of their property.

In 1827, the number of sugar estates in operation in Mauritius, were 49 worked by water power, 50 by cattle or horses, and 22 by steam--total 111; in 1836, this number had increased to 186, viz.--64 moved by water power, 10 by horse, and 112 by steam. In 1839, the number was 211, of which 138 were worked by steam power--70,292 acres were then under cultivation with sugar. There are now about 490 sugar estates, whereof only 231 have mills--42 are worked by water power, the rest by steam.

The annual Mauritius crops, as exported, for the last ten years, have been as follows. The s.h.i.+pments frequently extend beyond a year, hence a discrepancy sometimes between the year's crop and the year's export:--

Tons, 1842-43 24,400 1843-44 28,600 1844-45 37,600 1845-46 49,100 1846-47 64,100 1847-48 59,021 1848-49 50,782 1849-50 51,811 1850-51 55,000 1851-52 65,080

Besides its exports to Great Britain, Mauritius s.h.i.+ps large quant.i.ties of sugar to the Cape of Good Hope and Australia.

Its local consumption is moreover set down at about 2,500 tons.